Superiority Complex
by Chargrilled39
Summary: Having lost to Dante in a violent battle that nearly resulted in his death; Vergil storms off through a rift. There's just two problems, one being that the portal has thrown him into a parallel world full of demons he'd never seen nor heard of before and hauntingly familiar faces. The second being he's stuck with a cocky kid named Nero with a superiority complex. Great, right?
1. Lost

**A/N: Hey guys, this is something I've had bouncing around in my head after playing DmC for like... ages. I didn't know how to write it, I didn't know how to portray Vergil, it was just chaos! This takes place ****_after_**** the ending of DmC as a whole, but ****_before_**** Vergil's downfall. Let me know if you like it... and I'll try to throw more chapters out :p**

**Also, keep in mind that the reload's Vergil is NOTHING like the Vergil seen in the original games - yes he begins to make the transition at the end of the game (even moreso during his downfall) - but they are ****_not_**** the same being.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Devil May Cry, for if I did, Vergil would somehow appear in the next installment after DMC 4 (not the reload)**

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**Chapter 1 - Lost**

Gods it hurt, it felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest in a brutal, merciless manner; and in reality – it wasn't all that far from it. He could feel Rebellion's cold biting edge inside him, having cut through his ribs like butter, tearing at his insides and ripping an agonized cry from his dry, aching throat. The blinding pain was so intense it caused splotches of white to dance in his vision and staring blankly up at the feral sneer his brother wore with fluttering eyelids, Vergil was sure he was going to die then and there.

The sword drove deeper into his chest and into the concrete beneath him, and he could've sworn he heard Kat whisper Dante's name. Blood was pooling around him, soaking his coat a dirty brown; a pained, choked gasp slipped from his lips and Dante growled at the sound, what appeared to be red electricity crackling over his skin, his blank, hate-filled eyes narrowing. Vergil didn't need to see the red staining of his brother's leather coat, or the once black hair now a colourless white to know Dante had triggered in a fit of rage; a soundless wild wind whipping around them.

"Dante don't kill him... please!" Kat whispered fearfully, inching towards the brothers and kneeling slowly; warily next to them. Vergil's mouth hung open in a soundless scream when Rebellion inched further into his body as if in defiance to her pleas, the shaking hand reaching towards Dante twitching at the unparalleled agony washing over him.

"I am begging you... please stop" She whispered again. This time Vergil flickered his hazy vision towards her incredulously – why on earth was she standing up for him; a _human _standing up for a Nephilim. Dante appeared to have the same thought and snapped his head to the side to glare darkly at her, teeth bared in a feral glower not entirely meant for her.

"...For me?" she tried for a third time, the fear in her eyes masked by the determination to save the one who saved her; even though he betrayed her and turned his back on humanity, Kat certainly felt she owed him that much. Vergil's eyes returned to his brother hesitantly only to see that he was getting the same, hollow look from before; he could see it in what little sanity he had left in his eyes, that the internal war Dante was waging would either result in his life or his death.

He wasn't entirely comfortable in knowing that.

Vergil's eyelids fluttered closed for a moment and he let out a pained groan, his breath coming in short pants. He was so exhausted, so drained from the fight with his brother, so tired that he felt like he was going to cave any moment and lose himself to the dark inching into the corners of his vision. The pressure on his chest increased for a moment and Vergil sucked in a surprised gasp, his lungs burning painfully and after what felt like an eternity Rebellion was pulled from his chest with such force that his back lifted from the sticky pool of blood on the iced over concrete. Dante was still crouched over him, his muscled thighs holding him in place for the time being and Vergil taking in welcome breaths, his wounds knitting themselves together slowly after the intrusion of the enchanted devil arm.

He stared up at Dante incredulously; he had spared him? After what he said no less than half an hour ago? Icy blue eyes travelled to the mess of white hair Dante had on his head and if Vergil had the strength, he was sure a sarcastic comment would have slipped from his cracked lips about it. For now though, a simmering anger remained etched into Dante's face, the disapproving scowl turning the corners of his lips downwards. Vergil gulped audibly at the sight, partially in what he vaguely placed as fear – he had never felt such an intense seething emotion; was it fear? Or hate? Still panting he felt Dante's weight shift when he stood, Vergil's lips turned upwards slightly in a barely noticeable smirk and he flexed his fingers experimentally, hearing the familiar 'shing' of Rebellion vanishing, the red light blinding him for a moment.

He could feel Kat's eyes on him, and he knew Dante could feel her paranoid gaze too; but still the now snowy haired Nephilim remained stoic and cold toward his brother under her scrutiny. In an attempt at goodwill for Kat to see, Dante extended his hand down towards his brother who stared at the gloved had warily for a moment _'damn it all... I'm not weak Dante!'_ Vergil thought angrily, but none the less locked hands with his brother in a monkey grip while he hauled himself with effort out of the bloody snow – the artificial cold remnants of his subsided anger. The scene reminded him eerily of when they were children, play fighting with wooden swords under the watchful eyes of their mother; when he always lost.

Resentment filled him to the brim, the anger and flat out annoyance he now felt toward Dante for showing him mercy unparalleled to even the hate he felt towards Mundus. Vergil grit his teeth and glowered at his brother darkly, Dante returning the look flatly and neither of them said a word while they stared each other down – things would never be the same between them. Kat slowly rose to her feet a little ways off and watched the brothers warily; the tension between them was so thick she doubted even Rebellion and Yamato combined could slice through it. Her eyes wandered to their hands and a small frown turned her lips down when they released each other's wrist mutually and continued to glare at the other unwaveringly – they really weren't human at all, and she had to remind herself that sometimes.

"The world is under my protection now" Dante said equally, his face a mask of stone. Vergil's lips twitched downwards into a scowl and he took in a breath slowly in an attempt to calm himself. Why the hell would he side with them? The _humans_? They were weak; they were unpredictable and completely _stupid_. Kat's smiling face flashed in his mind's eye for a moment and his eyes narrowed dangerously; she was one of them, no matter how resourceful she was. Vergil raised a hand to his chest, the burning sensation there more than enough notification that the wound wasn't healing properly _'damnit!'_

"You've chosen the wrong side..." he said quietly, eyes flashing dangerously with the anger and malice he now felt towards his brother. "You aren't _human_, Dante. And you never will be" he spat. Kat slowly inched towards them, and through the cold glare he was receiving from his older brother, Vergil turned to her for a moment. She looked wary, she looked scared; like she didn't entirely know how to react after seeing two inhuman beings clash – and really, he couldn't blame her. With a soft sigh, he averted his eyes from her when she sidled up next to Dante and stepped away from the pair to retrieve Yamato, strewn on the ground with its sheath in the pool of his blood that had frozen over in the cold temperatures. Twirling it in his hands experimentally and still clutching his injury, he flicked his palm out to swipe Yamato down in an angry overhead arc, ripping the very space before him and opening a rift.

Vergil hesitated, the ache in his chest not from the devil arm his brother had impaled him with; no... He was far more familiar with this feeling. Turning slowly on his heel, he came across the sight of Kat hiding behind Dante, peering warily out at him and his brother standing protectively before her. His eyes narrowed darkly, he had seen such actions before, and he vaguely remembered seeing his father step forward in a similar manner in an attempt to intimidate the demons that had invaded their home to protect both himself and his brother; all the while their mother was leading the violent hordes away from them.

Love..?

Is that why Dante refused to side with him and instead side with _her?_ With _humanity?_ How did he not see! How could he not see the blind affection he had towards his brother even after all the years they had been separated! Vergil shook his head in disappointment and stared into the indifferent gaze Dante directed towards him; as much as he tried, he couldn't stop the twinge of remorse in his heart. Vergil had chosen his side, as had Dante.

"... I loved you brother" he said quietly, barely more than a whisper. He knew full well Dante would have heard it, though he doubted Kat could have. Tightening his jaw at the lack of reaction from him, Vergil's face darkened and he stormed off towards the rift without a second thought. Humans were such petty creatures, such cunning beings sometimes... one even going as far as to corrupt the judgement of his own brother. Stepping through the portal, Vergil lost himself to the sedative feeling of his body displacing _'damn you Dante...!'_

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The first thing he felt was a heavy humidity clinging to his battered body like an invisible thick paste, and moments after he emerged from the rift he found himself plummeting through a canopy of rainforest trees. Cursing on the way down, Vergil lost his grip Yamato through the scratching branches, twigs, vines and leaves before he came to a stop, slamming down on his back on the forest floor. A soundless yelp came from his open mouth, eyes wide in pain from the sharp fall; where the hell was he? There wasn't any kind of rainforest near Limbo City. After catching his breath, Vergil stared into the green canopy above him; sunlight filtered through the dense clutter of leaves and vines, shading the forest floor, foreign bird calls sounded and the Nephilim spotted his blade high in the trees, tangled between vines.

"Sounds about right..." he muttered bitterly, steadying himself when he stood and craned his neck back to stare at the katana. Cocking his head to the side, a glittering spectral sword appeared millimetres from his face and shot off into the foliage, slicing the grasping limbs and freeing Yamato. Vergil swiped his hand through the air, deftly catching his devil arm without batting an eyelid – that is, until the wound on his chest twinged uncomfortably. Wincing, he clutched his chest and doubled over with a pained groan, eyelids fluttering shut in an attempt to block the throbbing pain.

"Not every day you see flying sparkling swords and shit. What's next? Rainbows out your ass?" Vergil cracked an eye open at the foreign voice, lifting his head up and coming face to face with a person that reminded him eerily of his brother. He appeared to be in his late teens, perhaps even early twenties and dressed in a similar fashion to Dante himself; instead of a black and red leather trench, he wore a navy blue denim coat with a red interior and an even deeper red hoodie beneath. His right arm was in a sling and wrapped up beneath layers of material that ordinarily he would have associated with a break, and if he squinted he could make out a black tank top beneath the layers of clothing, Vergil was also quick to note the holster on his left thigh – complete with a silver plated gun. The man wore deep blue jeans that tucked neatly into tanned leather boots that buckled up to his shins, but the most predominant feature of the man was his silvery white locks – not even the monstrous sword strapped to his back rivalled that singular fact.

Vergil sniffed the air with latent curiosity, and came to a quick conclusion that the mysterious male before him was most certainly not human; well at least not completely. Struggling to stand and still clutching his injury, he blinked back the bleary haze that had settled over his eyes and noted that the man wasn't alone; three other men flanked him, seemingly way out of their comfort zone in such humid temperatures. They were dressed in traditional white and gold uniforms, swords strapped to their hips and a wary look on all their faces, one reached for their blade and Vergil narrowed his eyes at the action. Straightening up and gritting his teeth through the pain, he attempted to look somewhat intimidating and rested the palm of his hand on the hilt of Yamato, four spectral swords coming into existence around his head and shoulders with a hum of energy.

Several moments of silence followed.

"You're not human... are you?" the white haired man asked warily, his hand resting on the gun in its holster; He never was one for guns, and never knew why his brother had taken such an inkling two the pair he dubbed Ebony and Ivory. A smirk twitched Vergil's lips upward and he toyed with his devil arm, flicking it out and back into its sheath with a movement of his thumb.

"You could say that" he murmured, relishing in the fear he could smell washing off the three men behind the silverette. Humans were such pitiful, predictable creatures really. They _feared _what they did not understand, feared it to the point of hysteria "What's your name?" he questioned.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to ask someone's name without giving your own first?" Vergil scoffed.

"I don't have a mother" he deadpanned. More silence followed and the spectral blades flickered, twirling in the air in time with the Nephilim's growing annoyance. The men shuffled anxiously.

"Nero"

"Pardon?"

"My name's Nero, you?"

"No last name? How curious..." He murmured, purposely avoiding the question with a small smirk.

"I didn't know my parents dickweed, so it's just Nero. Now what the hell is your name?" Icy eyes narrowed at the remark, but none the less he could feel that same smirk curling the corners of his lips upwards.

"Well... I guess that makes me_ just_ Vergil" he mocked "And that also makes your human companions promptly deceased" The spectral blades shot forwards at blinding speed, impaling the three men and sending them rocketing backwards with the force of the impact. Blood erupted from their fatal injuries and the fourth blade Vergil kept close for the hybrid if he chose to strike. A cruel smile crossed Vergil's face at the crimson painting Nero's face, watching his expression dropping into that of pure horror then outright anger. His gun was drawn within the blink of an eye and bullets were sent rocketing towards him with a bang _'How impolite... bringing a gun to a swordfight_' if he weren't otherwise occupied, he would have snorted at his own joke.

Vergil swiftly unsheathed Yamato with inhuman speed, catching the ammunition on the flat of his blade effortlessly. In the same movement, he sent the fragments of the bullets flying back to the hybrid with a flick of his wrist and spraying him with searing hot metal. Nero let out a string of curses, drawing Red Queen and barely having enough time to parry the ghostly sword that streaked through the air.

"Foolishness Nero, _Foolishness_..." He muttered quietly, glancing back and the trio of men breathing their last shallow breaths in pools of their own blood. Vergil's injury twitched painfully and he clutched it with his free hand, eyes screwing shut and a pained hiss slipping from his lips. To think, he could have ended up in the same situation if it weren't for her _'I suppose... I can't entirely resent Kat'_.

"Bite me, asshole" Nero couldn't care less if the guy was in pain; it just made it easier for him. How wrong he was. With practiced speed and agility, the hybrid was before Vergil in the blink of an eye, sword coming down in a devastating overhead arc. Slamming Red Queen down, he choked on his arrogance when the injured Nephilim vanished into thin air.

"Don't get cocky, kid. Just because I'm wounded doesn't mean I can't wipe the floor with your sorry hide!" Wow. Ok, maybe Dante really was beginning to rub off on him after their short time together. His grip on Yamato tightened at the thought of his brother _'Such an idiot...'_ taking his frustration out on the young man probably wasn't the wisest idea, but unfortunately for him he was the closest thing to a punching bag in his brothers shape he was going to get any time soon. Nero struggled to keep up with the flurry of attack Yamato unleashed, let alone the speed at which Vergil was moving, one moment he was in front of him and the next overhead with an arsenal of spectral swords. Cursing under his breath, Nero revved Red Queen, gripped its clutch tightly and swiped the blade up into the air and sending and arc of volatile flames rocketing towards the airborne Nephilim. Vergil sighed.

Really, this boy did _not_ learn; and he wasn't even in top condition!

Nero smirked at the flames dissipated and all traces of the other had vanished, he allowed his sword's blade to tap the ground.

"Looks like your goose is well and truly cooked _Vergil_"

"I wouldn't be so sure; I'm not too fond of avian as delicacies anyhow" Nero whipped around on his heel with wide eyes, his mouth dropping open in a soundless cry of pain the second the cold, biting edge of the devil arm buried itself in his abdomen. Blood dripped to the forest floor steadily and Vergil narrowed his eyes, twisting Yamato in the hybrid's gut and impaling the boy further. Nero released Red Queen and gripped the blade with his free hand in an attempt to stop it from imbedding itself deeper, he growled darkly, red flashing in his eyes for a moment while his head hung down to stare at the katana.

"Guess this doesn't quite cut it..." he wheezed, a smirk crawling across his face and pulling his head back to stare at the slightly confused Nephilim. To say he was expecting the hybrid's right arm to tug down violently and tear the sling it was in would be a flat out lie. To say he also expected said limb to punch him with enough force to send him flying through the trees, would also be a lie. Vergil grunted in pain, shifting against the tree he had came to a stop at, the force of the impact making spiderweb-like cracks in the wood and aggravating the injury in his chest further. He coughed up blood and bared his teeth in annoyance – why, _why, WHY?!_

"Damn it all!" he hissed. He could hear the familiar whistling of Yamato slicing air and snarled, tipping his head to the side and narrowly avoiding its blade through his eye socket. Scowling, Vergil managed to right himself and stand with the help of Yamato imbedded in the tree. Uneasiness filled him, something was way off; the birds had gone silent and he couldn't hear that child's arrogant calls anymore. Then he saw it. Nero casually stalking through the thick underbrush towards him with a feral look of bloodlust that once again reminded him eerily of his brother. Eyes widened at the sight of the hybrid's arm, it was plated with red and dark blue scales, a wispy blue glow coming from his taloned hand and a fracture that ran through the hide like streams to a river _'So that's what you were hiding beneath wraps..._' his eyes were stained a deep red and in his right hand was a katana very similar to his own – so similar in fact, that the only difference he could _see_ was the white hilt. The blade itself gave off a similar aura to what Yamato did for him.

... Could it be there was more than one?

_'Impossible!_' He thought darkly with grit teeth. Ignoring the looming ethereal visage of what appeared to be a demon behind the teen, Vergil spat out a glob of blood with a scowl.

"That sword... where did you get it?" he muttered, eyes narrowing dangerously and the temperature around them dropping significantly. Nero knew Vergil still had plenty of fight in him; he could feel it in the air, the thrumming of utter malice and hate enough to make his skin crawl.

"A friend of mine gave it to me" He answered carefully, voice distorted and echoing with the tenor of the demon behind him "He said it was his brothers once... and after a..." He paused, looking for the right word "_spat_ between us, he let me keep it..."

Vergil narrowed his eyes, he was by no means an idiot but that couldn't be possible no matter how he looked at it. He owned the_ only_ Yamato, one of the twin legacy weapons created by Sparda for his sons Dante and...

Wait...

"This... _brother_... do you know his name?" Nero's trigger vanished and the red clouding his eyes with it. He twirled the heirloom in his taloned hand, smirking at the brief surprise that crossed the others face when it vanished in a blue light – once again Vergil found him comparing the teen to his brother.

"Nope"

"Who was this friend that _gave you _it then?" he snapped, getting impatient.

"... An asshole by the name of Dante"

Vergil's jaw hit the floor and he stared at the confused teen. That was impossible, _he had the only one with him!_

"You're lying!" he hissed, teeth bared and pulling his devil arm from the tree with enough force to cause it to crack up the middle. Nero's head craned back to watch it split and let out a low whistle "There's only _one _Yamato, it's impossible for there to be two!" Nero's eyes widened momentarily, and he mimicked the Nephilim's look of shock, jaw dropping and eyes going wide briefly.

"How the hell did you kno-" the hybrid was pinned to the forest floor in the blink of an eye, the katana at his throat and arms pinned above his head in Vergil's inhuman vice grip.

"Because my sword is the _only_ Yamato!" He spat, a feral gleam in his eyes that made Nero feel uneasy.

"Clearly not... but!" he added quickly when the blade pressed threateningly against his neck "I seriously doubt you're Dante's brother"

"And _why_ pray tell, is _that?_" he whispered coolly, face inches from the other. Though facing someone as unstable as this guy appeared to be at the moment, Nero found himself returning to the mentality of his early teens; rebel.

"Why the fuck should I tell you! You just killed three guys _and _tried to beat me down too! Go blow yourself!" a silver eyebrow twitched in irritation and at the foul mouth this fool possessed, really – if they were put in the same room, he could see Nero and Dante getting along a little _too_ well _'It would certainly be something to see, right _brother?_' _ Vergil had been through a hell and back today – figuratively of course. Having fought with Dante over something as petty as his idiotic choice to side with the humans rather then the only family he had left; having been betrayed by his own_ brother _and near _killed_...

Let's just say he wasn't exactly in the best of moods, and his patience was wearing thin.

Nero wriggled beneath Vergil in an attempt to get comfortable on the hard ground and blew a stray strand of white hair out of his face in annoyance, the action alone stirring the Nephilim from his frustrated, wandering thoughts.

"Can you let me go?"

"No"

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one with the power here, _I'm _the one in control. You aren't going _anywhere_ until you spit it out!" he snapped, his levels of anger rising rapidly "You have ten seconds" spectral blades shimmered into reality around Vergil and he focused his cold, hard gaze onto the trapped hybrid.

"Geez, your time of month or something?"

"One"

"You can't be serious!"

"Two"

"Dude!" Nero bucked his hips up in an attempt to shove the Nephilim off. Vergil held him firmly in place with little effort and merely adjusted his position to straddle the other with bloodied blue dress pants. The Spectral swords began to spin.

"Three"

"Shit man, calm your fucking tits and I'll tell you!"

"Four"

Nero rolled his eyes and groaned. Looked like there was no getting through to him.

"Five"

"Fine... So look, you're what... twenty one?"

"Close... Twenty" A smirk curled the corners of his lips up "six" the hybrid deadpanned at the Nephalim when he continued his countdown, even _after_ he said he would tell him _'cheeky bastard.._.'

"Right, Dante can't be your brother cuz I remember the idiot saying it was his twin brother"

"...Seven"

"Dante is at least twenty eight... if that" Nero finished. Vergil stared down at him blankly and the hybrid returned the look. They stayed like that for several moments, until eventually the spectral swords vanished in a veil of mist. The Nephilim deftly pulled himself off the hybrid and stood in a single fluid motion, eyes blank and mind reeling. Did he open a rift through time with Yamato? _'I didn't think that was possible... I... it isn't possible!' _he turned his confused gaze to Nero, the hybrid brushing the dirt and leaf matter off his clothes with a muttered string of curses.

"This Dante... where is he?" Nero paused, glancing up at Vergil with a raised eyebrow.

"His co-worker gave me a card for his business before they left Fortuna, can't remember the city or the address exactly but it's back home... if you feel like tagging along" he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Vergil nodded slowly, how trusting was this guy exactly? No less than two minutes ago had he threatened his life for information _'this idiot has to watch himself... he seems like someone who could be easily manipulated...' _ he thought mutely, sheathing Yamato and prodding the tender, painful injury on his chest gently. Nero watched him quietly, eyebrows knitting together in concern.

"I can get that checked out too... if you like" Vergil raised an eyebrow at the kind offer.

"Even after I killed three humans right in front of you?" he questioned with a slight teasing glint in his eyes. Before He could respond he merely waved it off "I'll heal just fine, you came to the correct conclusion, I'm definitely _not_ human" Nero pursed his lips and nodded for the Nephilim to follow.

"Half demon?" a small smirk quirked the corners of Vergil's lips up while they stepped through the dense foliage, coming across the mysteriously disappeared corpses of his comrades.

"Not quite, nephilim. Half demon, half angel – my brother Dante is the same." Nero snorted, a grin on his face; it really was odd how quickly they went from being at each other's throats, to being comfortable in relative company of one another.

"Well that's kind of proof you _definitely_ aren't related to Dante"

"Why is that?"

"The old man is a half demon half human, and I'm pretty sure he'd hump anything that moved..." that alone got a laugh out of Vergil, a laugh loud enough to cause the injury in his chest to ache _'good to see not much has changed then'._ They continued walking in silence until the wounded Nephilim questioned about the disappearance of the corpses they had passed not long ago. It turned out, in this part of the rainforest, there were demons commonly referred to as 'Assaults' and they were fiercely territorial when it came to other demons. They were scavengers that would drag carcasses back to their dens and feast upon them there; from Nero's description, he was able to picture them as quite violent species of demon.

"Fascinating..." he murmured, he had never heard of such demons before and the prospect of new species intrigued him. Vergil had long since come to the conclusion that he didn't travel through time with that rift, but possibly dimensions if not _worlds_; if he could teleport to places it wasn't all that much of a farfetched thought. Following Nero through the forest on paths the other could see but he struggled to find, he came to appreciate the other's company; after all that he had been through today and after having been betraying in the most painful way – it was pleasant to be in the in the presence of a half-breed.

"Stop spacing out you albino echidna, you're gonna get picked off if you keep going off to la la land like that"

Well, mostly.

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**A/N: Tell me what you think :p **

**RnR guys!**


	2. Voices

**A/N: I'm glad to the people who gave this story a chance :p I can understand how people are wary of fics that involve the reload (maybe it's because of the game? idk lol) but really, the gameplay for it was phenomenal in my honest opinion and trippy as hell - seriously, kudos if you can actually play the game through on Son of Sparda drunk and not flip a table - and though Vergil's downfall was so short, the fact that he kept some of DMC 3 Vergil's key attacks (Judgement cut/slash) was just awesome :)**

**That and I play Dante with the DMC 3 Dante skin on from the PS3 store... lol**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Devil May Cry in any shape or form, or there would certainly be a much more "hands on" Dante ;)**

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**Important:**** I'd like to ask you all a serious question here... how would you feel if I updated this story to M rating (if it came to that point) and making it a Vergil/Nero? Let me know what you think :p**

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**Review replies: **

_**(Guest) B: I'm glad you liked it and gave my story a shot :p yeah... I started the game up and thought the same thing, NERO, DAFAQ YOU DOING IN HERE?! xD There are hints about what's going to happen in this story with the whole "give me moar power!" scenario, in fact... there's a few in this chappie ;) it's all coming together quite well now and I think you'll enjoy Vergil-meeting-other-characters scenario :3**_

_**JakDaxPeaceMaker: Your name... I approve; Jack and Daxter was an awesome game :3 Yeah, we all know portals are never something you can trust, silly Vergil!**_

_**(Guest) Cupcake Genocide: Why would you kill innocent cupcakes D: it's going to be pretty hectic, I can tell you right now *a la no spoilers for joo!***_

_**(Guest) 3dge0f3den: *bows* awww shucks, you're going to make Char blush! :) Yeah they're pretty funny together, with Nero's smart ass attitude and Vergil's narcissistic slightly serious/mocking one... it makes for an amusing combo xD**_

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**Chapter 2 - Voices**

Vergil had been following the half breed through the dense foliage for roughly an hour, and they had finally come to the outskirts of the city he called Fortuna. The smell of sulphur and brimstone was the first thing the Nephilim could pick up and he wrinkled his nose in disgust, genuinely surprised at how unfazed the half demon appeared to be. Workers went about their business wearing industrial face masks and ash seemingly sticking to every surface it could, scorched earth and the blackened foundations of buildings the only reminder that a small mining town had existed in the very place they were standing.

"What happened here?" Vergil asked quietly. He had been feeling uneasy the second they had entered the remnants of the small town the hybrid had called 'Ferrum Hills', Yamato – now tied to his belt – thrumming in time wish his heartbeat; something wasn't quite right and he couldn't put his finger on what exactly. Nero paused, looking over his shoulder at the Nephilim, and gestured to further up the cliff from where they had descended. Upon it stood what would have once looked like rectangle slab of coal-coloured granite with intricate engravings littering its surface, the large chunk taken out of the centre appeared to have been the reason it was crumbling under the elements. Vergil's eyes narrowed slightly – how had he not noticed that before?

_'Are you that blind to even see what is standing right before you, Nephilim?'_ glacial eyes widened at the quiet whisper, its voice icy, devoid of any noticeable emotion and echoing in his mind like a black room vacant of furniture. Where was it coming from? Vergil's eyes strayed to his blade for a moment to see a dull flicker of red dancing along its sheath before it vanished entirely; was Yamato even _capable_ of communicating with him? He repressed a shiver at the feeling of cool fingers caressing his troubled mind, the feeling both repulsive and soothing.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

_'Don't you want a taste of its power?'_ the voice hissed, a cold shiver crawling up his spine and his injury throbbing painfully enough to get a grunt out of him.

"Artificial hellgate" At the sound of Nero's voice, the feeling vanished and Vergil was able to quickly regain composure – the barely noticeable grimace on his face hidden behind impassiveness. A hell gate? _'Not a true one though' _he mused; it looked nothing like the hellgate he had sealed when himself and Dante had gone up against Mundus, though the similarities in how Yamato reacted to its shattered form was beyond eerie. The thrumming of the demonic steel, cold and craving for the sheer power it could taste from beyond – why was it _now_ he could hear his blade's wants? _'Now that I think about it... I don't even think it was Yamato yearning for its power'_

That thought alone troubled him deeply.

"That still doesn't explain the damage..." he murmured, eyes straying from the crumbled gate to the slabs of black stone hauled over to the side of the cliff. Vergil raised an eyebrow – who the hell carved it into the form of a broken heart? Nero snorted.

"Angry fire demon of a high class came out, I kicked the shit out of it and sent it back like a told off puppy" the hybrid smirked "Didn't do that good of a job I guess, cuz the bastard came back and Dante had to clean him up along with the gate" Vergil nodded slowly – so Dante had helped dispose of the demons and hellgate did he?

"I see" and with that, they both continued through the small town, Nero paying no mind to the busy workers and weaving through them effortlessly to what looked to be the entrance of a mine. The duo navigated blindly through the myriad of tunnels and dead ends, all the while the half breed telling tales of different encounters and gently dipping Vergil's head for him in certain areas before his face smacked against a stray wooden beam and the like; the mines were poorly lit and Vergil found it peculiar how sharp the other's eyesight was compared to his – how was it a half demon could see better than a Nephilim? The smell of the ocean wafting through the arched tunnel caused a subtle smile to cross Vergil's face, earning an amused look from Nero. Cutting out of his musings short, he caught the half breed rolling the sleeve of his coat down over his plated demon arm and attempting to pull his hand back through the material to hide it, the action piquing Vergil's curiosity.

"Is there a reason for that?" he questioned, clutching his side and treading carefully on the uneven cobblestone road in the dim tunnel they were both casually walking through. They had a run in with a the very demons Nero was sent out to kill – he had since found out the three men with him were there to keep him in check – and more; the Assualts were rampant, and Vergil found it difficult to avoid their erratic attacks whilst wounded, relying on his spectral swords and the heavy damaging blows of Yamato fuelled with demonic energy. Odd looking burlap sacks, covered in grime and reeking of decay were sewn together and he heard Nero refer to them as Scarecrows, they were slow, sluggish and met a swift demise at the flick of the Nephilim's blade.

"Yeah..." Nero muttered bitterly, nodding to a pair of men standing guard at the entrance to Port Caerula, they similarly dressed to the three men the Nephilim had killed and he could only assume they were also military "it's something I don't particularly enjoy flashing around – no pun intended. Get's a lot of unwanted attention" Vergil nodded slowly, eyes straying to the eerily glowing taloned hand and with a roll of his eyes he came to a halt, pulling the stained leather glove from his right hand and tossing it to the half breed.

"Just don't rip them with your claws" Vergil warned, he did _not_ want to have to replace them in an unknown world.

"Y-yeah..." Nero mumbled, quickly pulling it on over his talons and flexing his hand experimentally. The Nephilim watched him silently and clicked his tongue, voicing his quick observation while the hybrid adjusted the glove and they continued walking slowly.

"Humans fear what they can't understand, that fear often leads to anger and hate. Rumours spread like a wildfire and before you know it; everyone is doing anything and everything in their power to make the target of their fear feel unwanted, unloved... _despised _on all levels for no other reason than their petty uncertainties" Nero froze and looked the Nephilim stupefied, Vergil stopping a little ways ahead of him and turning back to smirk teasingly.

".._How...?_" the half demon squeaked, voice cracking with emotion. That alone told him he had hit the nail on the head.

"I'm more of a watcher... I've seen how humans behave, and quite frankly it's far too predictable to be entertaining for long" Nero remained silent for several moments before shook off his shock and continued forward without saying a word, walking past the Nephilim and ignoring the pointed look he was receiving; with a snort Vergil followed _'you fight as fiercely as a demon, yet you can be as readable as a human'_. The guards took note of Nero the second he came into line of sight, Vergil hanging back and studying the men curiously from the shadows of the tunnel.

"Who goes there!" one called, Vergil rolling his eyes behind Nero at the rather cliché sound of alarm. The hybrid laughed – though to the Nephilim it sounded forced – raising his hands in a surrendering manner _'how peculiar...'_ The younger half demon inched into the setting sun light streaming in parallel to the tunnel, praying that they wouldn't be idiots and attack out of their sheer paranoia.

"Now now fellas, no need to get so twitchy" he said warily – still on his toes. At the sound of his voice the guards relaxed slightly, one crossing his arms with a hearty grin.

"The hell took you so long Nero? Most of us thought the _infamous_ demon hunter of Fortuna had met his maker!" Demon hunter? _'Interesting... there's a profession such as that in this world?'_ the Nephilim raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we were even beginning to take bets back at the guard post" the other teased. The hybrid folded his arms and glowered at the pair, Vergil's choosing then to make his silent appearance behind the half breed, catching the men off guard and fumbling for their swords clumsily.

"Cool it guys, this is... A _friend_, you remember Dante right?" he questioned, gesturing to the Nephilim and behind him and shooting a pointed look the men couldn't see, clearly asking him to go along with it. Vergil's eyes narrowed angrily, but he remained silent _'I am NOT portraying my brother!'_

"Y-yeah..." one of the guards relaxed slightly, and Nero went to open his mouth when the wounded Nephilim cut him off.

"_Vergil_" he murmured, voice cold and cunning "Dante's _brother_" sidestepping Nero with an icy smile that _dared _the humans to question him; he extended his hand, the suaveness of his name rolling off his tongue caused the skin to prickle on both guard's arms as if the temperature just dropped down a few degrees. They both exchanged a wary looks and straightened somewhat. Several moments of thick silence followed and neither of them moved to shake his hand _'checkmate'_.

"Whe-where's the squad that was sent out with you?" one questioned quietly, staring wide eyed at the Nephilim as if he would kill him if he didn't cut to the point. Vergil snorted in amusement – the icy glower remaining on his face – at their petrified expressions, withdrawing his hand and Nero coughed awkwardly.

"They wandered off leaving me behind, saying they could handle the job without me – I call bullshit because after I cleaned up my group, they were already picked clean to the bones" A few tense moments of silence passed. They didn't have time for this! Vergil thumbed Yamato's hilt, the first inch of the blade sliding from its sheath in a silent warning and his cold glare hardening in irritation, the guards seemed to catch on quickly.

"R-right... I hope you enjoy your stay in Fortuna" one squeaked, the other nodding fiercely in agreement, eyes wide. Nero shot an annoyed look to Vergil, but said nothing and led him past the guards and into the port. To the Nephilim, he found it hard to contain his curiosity; he had never seen the ocean before nor the gulls overhead that cawed loudly, their wings keeping them suspended in the air as if they were held up by invisible thread. Though he had read about it, books couldn't compare to the real thing, small fishing boats docked in lines next to each other, the marina full of different sized watercrafts that not even Vergil's extensive knowledge could comprehend. The larger ships anchored further out, moored by thick ropes tied to the piers themselves and rocking gently on the calm waves in the bay. The subtle ocean breeze blew strands of his wispy white hair into his face and he promptly swept his gloveless hand back through his dirtied locks, sweeping them back into position.

He found it ironic, really; his brother lived in a caravan located on a carnival pier, worked there snapping at snotty parents and intimidating children of all ages with a pointed glare; and yet Vergil himself hadn't ever got the time to go out there personally to see him, let alone the sea.

"Earth to Vergil, quit spacing out on me" Nero growled, snapping his fingers in front of the blank-eyed Nephilim irritably.

"Forgive me..." he murmured, eyes clearing up and turning his gaze to the hybrid "I've never seen the ocean before" pupils constricted into slits when he turned to stare at the sun setting behind the different boats and on the horizon. Through all the hardships of Limbo City, he still found time to appreciate a bleeding sunset.

"It's not much to see really... especially when you've been stuck here all your life" Nero spat bitterly, snatching Vergil's wrist and dragging him through the crowds of hooded people battering for freshly caught seafood at different stalls. Though he wasn't fond of getting dragged around like a child, he said nothing – what was the point? It's not like he could navigate the city on his own. Vergil could feel different sets of curious and wary eyes on him, sensitive ears picking up uneasy whispers; staring ahead at Nero, he could feel the resentment and frustration rolling off him. Were they talking about the hybrid? Or himself? _'Why hasn't he left yet if he despises it so much here...?'_ Vergil thought, a dark disapproving glare sent behind him that silenced the masses altogether.

Nero released his grip on him when they came to the alleyways and slums that led to the central housing district of the city. Without a word, he continued forward quickly, shoving his way past guards and civilians alike without so much as an apology, Vergil keeping up easily; weaving through the different people with an unearthly grace. His chest connected with Nero's back when the half breed stopped abruptly.

"Something the matter?" he asked quietly, rubbing the tender injury on his chest with the heel of his palm. They had come to a stop in a rather quiet, quaint area, small water features lined the streets and elegant lamp posts lit the lanes, Vergil found himself staring at the architecture, Limbo City had nothing like the white marble slabs of carved stone he was seeing now.

"Nah, I just think..." Nero paused, hands padding himself down and eventually the hybrid sighed angrily, pulling Vergil's glove off his devil bringer with his teeth and throwing it back at him. The Nephilim wordlessly put the garment in his pocket "Wait here, forgot my keys"

Vergil's jaw actually dropped when Nero scaled three storeys of a home he failed to notice in front of him, all with a flick of his wrist. A ghostly visage of his demonic arm appeared, talons digging into the windowsill and pulling his body up effortlessly. The Nephilim craned his head back to watch him flick the lock open with a claw and slip inside silently, really – he had to remind himself the cocky sure-fire half demon was just that; a half demon. Something crashed inside the home and an amused smile crossed his face at the string of curses and angry shouts he could hear through the thick wooden door. Folding his arms with Yamato tied to his belt, he was met with a rather annoyed looking half breed.

"You heard all of that, didn't you?"

"Every word"

"God damnit... don't tell Kyrie" Vergil raised an eyebrow and stepped inside when Nero moved from the doorway.

"Kyri-who?"

"Friend..." he muttered quietly. He clearly wasn't comfortable talking about it, so Vergil dropped the subject entirely and nodded in understanding. The home was quite plain with white on white that could have potentially made the Nephilim blind if he were human; really the intensity of the opaque shade was obnoxious and caused his lips to turn downwards disapprovingly. It was insanely clean, not a single piece of clothing, spec of dust or discarded food wrappers were visible in the living room or anywhere within line-of-sight at all; hell the walls were probably pressure cleaned with bleach with how brightly they glowed. Nero slammed the door shut with a scowl, catching Vergil's attention enough for him to turn and watch the half breed remove his gore-encrusted sword and strip out of his trench, throwing it into another room before proceeding past the Nephilim and motioning for him to follow. The hoodie he wore beneath was sleeveless, and his eyes widened momentarily at the black leathery scales littered with blue veins, inching up the half breed's arm. _'What on earth?'_

"So why is it you have another Yamato?" Nero questioned, in all honestly – it had been bugging him since he discovered that singular fact. Vergil pursed his lips, watching the hybrid dig through the drawers of a cluttered desk with muttered curses.

"I may be wrong in my theory... but I'd like to ask you a question first; have you heard of a place called Limbo City?"

"Nope, this island is like a damn religious cult, I'm lucky if I hear about a fucking plague outbreak on the mainland let alone a city" he grumbled. Vergil nodded with an amused smile, silently appearing beside the hybrid and cocking an eyebrow when he let out a triumphant 'aha!' He had a small card in his talons and he wordlessly flicked it to the Nephilim with a grin. Vergil eyed the card with a raised eyebrow; it was a simple white with black print, the large bolded letters of the company causing the Nephilim to raise an eyebrow.

"Devil May Cry huh...?"

"Yeah, doesn't make much sense to me either!" Nero called over his shoulder, vanishing into one of the many rooms before Vergil could keep track of him. Said Nephilim blinked, turning the card over and finding a number and an address.

"It's ironic at the very least; devils can't cry..." he murmured, his gloved hand tracing over the number "You wouldn't happen to have a phone would you?" Nero's head poked out from what he assumed to be the kitchen, a black mobile tossed at him. Snatching it from the air, he punched in the number easily, only to hesitate when it came to actually pressing the call button. Nero returned with a can of drink and cracked it open, staring at Vergil with a raised eyebrow.

"You going to call him or what?" the Nephilim stared at him from the corner of his eyes and pursed his lips.

"I would... but I'm not sure if I should do the talking..." he murmured. Nero had mentioned he found _his own _Yamato in an underground lab, broken in two and explained how his demon side reacted to the dire situation, restoring the blade. He also said that this worlds Dante had allowed him to keep the sword after they fought over it – he _did_ say the man mentioned it was his brothers, the question was; would the Vergil in this world willingly give up Yamato? _'I know I sure as hell wouldn't...'_ he thought, the palm of his hand straying to his blades familiar hilt. Nero studied him for a moment, trying to read through the troubled expression the Nephilim wore. Eventually he rolled his eyes, snatched the phone and ignored the protests of the other, a glowing blue claw hitting 'call'.

"Don't mention my name!" Vergil hissed suddenly, his paranoia getting the better of him – what if the Dante of this world and his counterpart also came to blows? He didn't want to think of the repercussions if he mistook him for his brother. Nero stared confused, opening his mouth to say something before the phone on the other end was picked up and he hastily put it on loudspeaker.

_"Devil May Cry"_ Nero would have laughed at the utter lack of enthusiasm in the others voice if he didn't have to actually ask the guy for help.

"Hey old man, how's it going?" he teased, a smirk on his face.

_"Kid! Ahaaa! I didn't think I'd be hearing from you so soon, what can I do ya for?"_ the pair both ignored the sound of bottles colliding with the floor and the shuffling of papers. Vergil huddled closer to Nero, listening intently _'he sounds nothing like my Dante...'_

"Actually I've got a question..."

_"Shoot, I got time to kill."_

"It's about your brother... and Yamato" he paused, eyes straying to the Nephilim staring back at him; face a blank slate and unreadable, Nero shrugged at the deadpan look he was receiving _'in a roundabout way, I suppose he didn't mention my name...'_ Vergil mused quietly, eyes flickering back to the phone. Silence met them and for a solid five minutes nothing could be heard but what they both assumed to be a creaky ceiling fan.

_"What's happened Nero"_ worry laced in his voice.

"Wha-? Nothing you crazy old fart!"

_"Then remind me why you called? Yamato isn't acting up is it?" _he teased with a laugh. Nero scraped around for an excuse, his mind blank and running on white noise – that is until a brilliant idea came to the forefront of his mind, he did hint to the Nephilim he had always wanted to leave the hellhole of an island did he not? Perfect excuse and time! Vergil's mind strayed to the peculiar actions of his katana earlier and his lips set into a grim line at the thought.

"Look jackass, I haven't left this goddamn island before and I have no idea where I'd be going – how the fuck am I supposed to get to – hang on..." He stuck his hand out and motioned for Vergil to pass him the card, to which he obliged, his previous uneasiness hidden with an amused smirk. "Capulet... City? Who the fuck names a city Capulet?"

_"Who names a city Fortuna? It's the fish version of Forpony as far as I'm concerned" _Nero sighed angrily, talons of his bringer clenching.

"Dante I swear to _fucking-_"

_"Cool ya jets kid... You want to visit? That can be arranged, I'll send a friend out to meet ya at the port; that is, if you're serious about dropping in" _Nero grumbled incoherently, eyes turning questioningly to the Nephilim who had since straightened up and had folded his arms in thought, did he want to meet the Dante of this world? He sounded older, sounded much more light-hearted and joking than his brother and perhaps he would even know of a way for him to return to Limbo City; that was the golden question – did he want to return?

"Time will tell..." he murmured, averting his eyes from the half demon.

_"What you say kid?" _Nero scowled, eyes bouncing between the phone and Vergil; the Nephilim nodded.

"You're hearing things... go get a hearing aid, yeah I'll go. Just bringing a friend with me" he muttered.

_"Ooooh, she cute?" _ Vergil raised an eyebrow, what?

"_He_ is a friend..." the half breed snapped, eyes downcast and scuffing his leather boots on the floor in embarrassment, the Nephilim watching him with eyes alight with amusement.

_"Good thing I swing both ways, right kid?" _

"Shit Dante, can we just not-"

_"Yeah yeah kid, I'll call you back... need to sort some stuff first; like who's gonna pick you up and so forth – so don't make any bookings just yet, aiight? I got a job I have to take care of a few towns over and need someone to look after the shop so I won't be able to see ya until I get back in about a weekish"_ A pause on the other end _"You remember Gloria, right?" _Nero rolled his eyes and his face heated up, walking past Vergil and plonking down on the couch with the Nephilim following in tow, seating himself and being careful not to let his bloodied coat touch the pristine furniture, Yamato pulled over his lap. Did Nero remember her? How could he not?!

"Yeah... why?" he questioned warily.

_"I'll send her to pick her up – though, her names actually Trish and ya can't miss her, boobs are still the same!"_

"DANTE!"

_"Chillax kid you're too prude, I'll call you back in a couple hours"_ The hybrid grit his teeth.

"Yeah yeah, try not to forget... your fucking dementia has been getting pretty bad" the hunter on the other end snorted a laugh.

_"I could never forget about you and your ass kid~"_

Click.

Nero's hand tightened around the black phone and he threw it with a frustrated snarl at the wall, the impact cracking the plaster and sending the device to the floor surprisingly still intact. His face was burning with embarrassment and he could feel the Nephilim's eyes on him.

"That's one sturdy phone..."Vergil said with a raised eyebrow.

"Nokia"

"Ahh, that explains it" A smile curling the corners of his lips up. Nero scowled and took a drink from the can in his hand, eyeing Vergil from his position further down the couch; really in the light of his home he was able to see how filthy the other truly was. The back of his black coat and his silvery hair were coated in dried crusty blood and mud, the once vibrant blue of his dress pants stained a dull brown and dirtied to the point of nigh unsalvageable. Nero grimaced thinking of how Kyrie would react if she came home and saw him as dirty as he was – the woman was a clean freak.

"Dunno if your pants are going to survive it, but I should be able to wash the rest of your shit so it doesn't look like you just survived coming out of a blender..." It took all of thirty seconds for Vergil to get what he was talking about and he snorted a laugh, his gloveless hand trailing to his hair and picking at the dried muck there.

"I suppose it would be a good idea..."he murmured, standing and twirling Yamato in the palm of his hand "do you happen to have clean towels?" Nero nodded and put his drink on the small coffee table, standing and motioning for the Nephilim to follow. After giving him the fluffy white towel, he waited outside the large bathroom on the second floor, leaning against the wall and picking at his claws, when the door opened abruptly enough for him to jump in surprise and a pile of dirtied clothes were thrown out along with a pair of leather shoes. Blinking at the rather formal footwear, he shook his head with a chuckle and scooped the clothes up, grumbling all the way down to the laundry.

Vergil turned the shower on straight cold and stepped under the cascade, letting out hum of approval at the feeling of the grime being washed from his body, adjusting the water to a cosy warm and fishing around for a bar of soap. He smirked at finding it was coconut scented, and proceeded to scrub down his body, only hesitating when he came to the injury on his chest. It had healed somewhat, a jagged pinkish scar the only evidence of what happened between himself and his brother – though it felt as if it had healed incorrectly, he found the pressure he could feel on his chest wasn't from his bones setting wrong and his fingers traced over the scar curiously. A feeling of dread settled into the pit of his stomach and the sensation of cold fingers ghosting over the skin on his sides and hips were enough for him to whip around with wide eyes. He was alone.

"What the hell...?"

_'You need to set you true self free'_ the cold voice was back and his eyes snapped to Yamato worriedly, the blade perched on the pristine marble bench near a sink. The eerie demonic glow from when he passed through Ferrum Hills wasn't present, but he could _feel_ the blade pulsing in time with his currently racing heart; what was going on? Scowling he ignored the voice and reached for the vanilla scented shampoo, very nearly groaning in pleasure at the feeling of the dirt and muck being scrubbed from his scalp.

_'It will only get worse the longer you ignore it'_ it hissed. Vergil sighed, closing his eyes and washing the suds from his now snowy white hair.

"What do you want from me..." he murmured, slicking his hair back and emerging from under the warm stream and looking around for the matching vanilla scented conditioner. God he sounded crazy talking to himself – maybe he had lost it...

_'The very same thing you want; power'_ Vergil went silent after that, eyes straying to his katana and massaged the conditioner through his water matted hair. Power? The Nephilim's thoughts wandered back to his fight with Mundus and how Yamato reacted on its own accord when it first came into contact with the demonic energy of hell itself when sealing the gate, the immense surge of power he felt for a brief moment was both immeasurable and omnipotent– he wasn't about to deny it, he wanted a second taste of it's magnificence. Though separated from the hellgate during his fight with the demon king himself, the residual energy he had still coursing through his veins after coming into contact with it was palpable at the very least.

_'Nephilim – bastard children of a demon and an angel; what side do you prefer son of Sparda?'_ Vergil grit his teeth and cursed, fist connecting with the wall and leaving a decent sized dent with cracks spider webbing from the impact. The voice relinquished its icy presence and he scrubbed the conditioner from his hair furiously, what exactly was going on with him? He had never heard the voice before today and quite frankly it was beginning to unsettle him – had he gone crazy? A knock on the door made him jump and very nearly slip over on the tiles in the shower.

"Hurry up! I want a hot shower later!"

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**A/N: Remember what I asked up the top? How would you feel if this became a Vergil/Nero? :3 let me know what you think about said idea (thinking about it now, I could eaaaasily weave it in)**

**RnR guys! :)**


	3. Insanity

**A/N: Wow guys, crazy! ****_SIX_**** reviews for Chapter 2, that's insane in the membrane! Not even mentioning this story has well over 600 views now! It may not seem like much; 11 reviews, 8 favorites and 14 followers - but to me? that's pretty awesome! :) I'm glad you all love this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I actually have trouble writing my scenes, I have such a vivid imagination it's like seeing a cinematic with the characters in it; trying to describe the scenario's that are so well defined in my mind is just a pain in the butt xD**

**Also: ****_ watch?v=fwI3QZbDlZ8 _****I saw this the other day and thought you all might like to have a look at it, it's an AMV of the DmC reload to Asking Alexandria's "Dear Insanity" and I'm not going to lie, it kinda inspired what you'll see in this chapter (though it is screamo, and it does warn you... watch at your own risk :p)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DMC or DmC at all... a la sadface :c**

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**Important: Regarding my question last chapter... I guess I'll just develop it subtly and you guys let me know what you think of it, though keep in mind I'm going to reply to you 'v' down there, so is all guud :p**

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**Review Replies: **

_**Meerkat Moka: awww ily Yuuki :) glad you like it... and yeah, we shall see how it develops, ne? ;)**_

_**(Guest) B: I'm inclined to agree, Nero is a spitfire with a abrasive personality that makes him the kind of person that won't take shit; period. Reading Dante/Nero fics where he's portrayed as a submissive kitten is not only annoying, but makes it hard for me as a writer to read and relate to :L I can assure you though, Nero is as much involved in this story as Vergil is and I can tell you right now it won't drive the story off a cliff into a love-dovy butterflies and rainbows relationshit - typo intentional ;)**_

_**Now see, that's quite perceptive and very very **_**very ****_close, all will be revealed in this chapter rather bluntly; and quite frankly if ya can't pick it up something is wrong *grins*_**

**_(Guest) 3dge0f3den: Can I just start off by saying your name is really hard to type? xD (lyk dis if u cri evry tim) I'm glad I made your morning :p It's something that can be both subtle in this story or as blunt as Dante streaking down the street after Lady pinching his savings. I'll take your opinion to heart friend, and let us see how this story goes, ne? _**

**_SirenaLoreley: Haha yeah I get ya, I do like a good Dante/Nero if it's well written :p but what if Dante met Dante's, Vergil's,Nero's brothers son? BOOM try to wrap your head around that! xD (I love making funnies... sorry :c lol) Thanky for leaving a review friend and I will try to steal all the luck I can from other people *insert evil laugh here*_**

**_(Guest) Semenosuke: Your name *gigglesnort* lol'd! Yeah, I though so too so my mind cooked this up and I HAD to write it, I'm glad you read it and were kind enough to leave your opinion on it :) See, Dante said that to get a rile out of Nero because he _****knows****_ the guy is - I wouldn't say innocent - prude as hell having been raised on an island cut off from the rest of the world; and a religious one at that (good god I would die D:). It _****could****_ be possible for Dante to get all flirty - cuz lets face it, it's Dante ._. - but in saying that; would he after getting over the initial shock of seeing someone who is a spitting image of his brother? ;)_**

**_JakDaxPeaceMaker: Oh give me a break! I haven't played that game in yeaaaaaaaaaaaaars (it's still upstairs and I no longer have a ps2 :c) I'm glad you liked it friend :) and yeah, it's going to be crazy! *channeling Dante*_**

**_(Guest) Kit: Yeah... but Dante is flirty with anything on two legs bahahaha xD We'll see how it pans out :)_**

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** Chapter 3 - Insanity**

Nero was sitting cross legged on the teak porch out the back of the large home with an irritated scowl on his face – if there was one thing he hated to do after being sent on a job, it was cleaning his damn boots. Blood and guts got everywhere on _and _in them, under the brass buckles, every hole punched out in the leather _for _said buckles, in the grip ridges on the bottom of the damn things and not to mention the muck and dirt he had trekked through with Vergil had also decided to work its way _into _his fucking boots. After throwing the Nephilim's clothes in the washing machine, he thought it wise to do the same with his – really, his clothes weren't as bad, but they reeked of a Scarecrow's decay and that alone was enough incentive – so he had stripped down, changed into a pair of loose camouflage-print cargo pants and chose to remain topless, it was a cooler evening outside anyway.

The sliding door opened behind him, and he knew who it was without having to deter from his work; ever since he and the Nephilim had passed through Ferrum Hills, Nero found he could feel the foreboding aura of Vergil's own Yamato calling out to the mirrored blade residing in his devil bringer, his talons pulsing on the thin borderline between pain and pleasure – at least he thought Vergil's katana was the reason behind it. The question was why the hell was his arm being so sporadic? One minute it was fine and the next he'd have to try to keep from summoning Yamato against his will; on that topic, what the hell was up with having two of the katana's anyway? Nero paused when the Nephilim said nothing and seemingly just stood there silently, watching him – now that he thought about it, he hadn't answered his question about _why_ he had another Yamato. Nero rolled his eyes _'he's probably going to give me some bullshit answer anyway...'_

"What?" the hybrid snapped, feeling the eyes of the other on his back and dipping the brush into the scalding soapy water, scrubbing at the bottom of one of his boots with eyebrows drawn together in concentration. He had already cleaned Vergil's shoes for him, complete with a gleaming black polish clear enough for him to see his own reflection in; _THAT is_ how long the Nephilim took in the damn shower! Vergil chose wisely to brush off the snappy tone.

"Is the washing done?"

"Does it sound done?" several moments of silence passed, and Nero swore he didn't even have to turn around to see the teasing, lopsided half smirk the other seemed to wear so much around him – as if mocking him _'jackass'_ he thought irritably. The washing machine clattered in the background.

"It's quite rude to answer a question with a question you know..."

"Says you, cryptic asshole" he bit out, turning to glare at the other "Now if you'll excuse me I'm trying...to..." he trailed off with eyes widening to the size of dinner plates and his jaw dropping open against his better judgement. Vergil wore a bemused expression, his lips drawn into a thin line and his still damp hair hanging in front of his piercing blue eyes. Nero had to fight the heat rising to his cheeks – well shit; he could understand why he wanted his clothes! The Nephilim was quite literally in just a towel that he held up with his right hand, Yamato in his left and what wasn't covered by the cloth was most definitely nosebleed worthy. The hybrid hadn't ever seen another man so... _bare_ before, everyone on the damn island including members of 'The Order of the Sword' wore layers of clothing and flashing any kind of skin was generally frowned upon.

Unless you happened to be Gloria, of course.

Nero scratched his nose in embarrassment and went back to scrubbing his boots to try to take his mind of the toned body now firmly imprinted in his mind.

"Trying to what?" Vergil questioned – choosing to ignore the obvious flustered actions of the other – the silent response in the form of a glowing talon pointing to his right. The Nephilim spotted his footwear further down the porch and chuckled at how brightly they reflected the last of the sun's dying rays, so the half demon had taken it upon himself to clean up while he was showering? How thoughtful. Nero stood fluidly and dropped one of the boots he was scrubbing, brushing the clinging dirt off his pants and looking over his shoulder almost warily, the action enough to pique Vergil's curiosity.

"You look like you might fit into some of my clothes..." he said quietly, turning to casually stride past the Nephilim "Kyrie will be back soon, don't want you freaking her out by walking around in just a towel" he said with a smirk causing Vergil roll his eyes and chuckle, following silently and flicking his snowy bangs out of his eyes. It turned out the Dante of this world still hadn't called Nero back yet, so he had kept himself occupied by taking the time to clean his leather boots and the Nephilim's dress shoes; he made a mental note to pay the hybrid back some time. Following the half demon inside the dimly lit home, up the stairs and down the hall, Vergil leaned casually against the doorway to Nero's surprisingly clean bedroom and watched him dig around through his closet, clothes of different kinds flying across the open space in a somewhat comical manner. Eventually he emerged from the seemingly endless stream of material, throwing a pair of black khaki pants at the Nephilim along with a deep blue tank top. Vergil blinked at the choice of clothing, cocking his head to the side and looking at the hybrid incredulously _'khaki..? seriously?'_

"What the hell are you staring at? Go see if they fit!" Nero snapped, turning the stunned Nephilim around – much to his protests – shoving him out and guiding him to the bathroom. The hybrid raised an eyebrow at an intricate tattoo perched between Vergil's shoulder blades; it appeared to be that of a winged sword and though it looked to be inked on, he knew very well it wasn't that simple with the way his devil bringer shimmered at the close proximity _'what the hell? Weird' _Vergil turned on his heel and swatted away Nero's hands, stumbling into the bathroom and shooting a dirty look to the rather confused looking hybrid; slamming the door in his face without so much as a thank you. Staring warily at the clothes he rolled his eyes and moved to the sink, placing Yamato carefully on the marble surface and dropping the towel to pull on the pants. Vergil was far from fine going commando and he had a feeling the half demon would probably end up burning the pants once they were returned, which was a pity considering they didn't look half as bad as he thought they would. Adjusting them until he was comfortable, he stared at the blue shirt as if it were toxic – he did _not_ do tank tops! None the less, he pulled it on over his head and stared at his reflection flatly.

Nope.

"I look ridiculous..." he muttered, rolling his eyes and swiping Yamato from the countertop, opening the bathroom door only to find Nero leaning against the wall – now wearing a black t-shirt – and staring down at the carpeted floor waiting for him. At his re-emergence, the half demon lifted his gaze and cocked an eyebrow at the annoyed expression the other wore.

"What? Looks like it fits fine to me" he stated, straightening up and folding his arms. Vergil pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"For you perhaps, but this isn't exactly the kind of clothing I'm accustomed to" the Nephilim grumbled.

"Not everyone can run around with designer brands unfortunately" Nero retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm and rolling his eyes, heading for the stairs muttering something about the Nephilim being a sissy; Vergil wordlessly followed and glowered at the half demon's back, debating whether the intensity was enough to set him on fire. Walking down the stairs he paused for a moment at the smell of another person – a human to be precise, was this the Kyrie Nero had mentioned? Following the hybrid into the lounge room he came face to face with a sweet looking girl with auburn hair pulled back into a high pony tail, a basket of damp clothing on her hip. She was certainly easy on the eyes and his gaze may have lingered for longer than the half breed would have liked, at least that's why he assumed he was getting glared at.

"Oh Nero! I thought you had someone over, the washing was done so I was going to put it in the dryer – you don't usually wear such dignified clothing!" she giggled. The hybrid balked and shot a dirty look to the Nephilim who he knew for a _fact_ would be smug; he wasn't wrong, the bastard was grinning from ear to ear _'hear that? Designer clothes make you look dignified~'_. Nero sighed and snapped the Nephilim out of his musings when he was met with the half demon holding out a bloodied sword in front of him – Red Queen if he recalled correctly – and nodding to the back door. The Nephilim took it wordlessly, studying the blade with barely contained curiosity; it was well balanced, with enough weight behind the blade to cause some serious damage and yet light enough – maybe it was because of his heritage – to be swung around in devastating arcs.

"I'm gonna go help Kyrie sort the washing out then I'll pop outside... might as well clean my girl" he grumbled the last part with a roll of his eyes and the Nephilim found himself sympathizing with the young man.

"And what of Dante, if he calls?"Vergil questioned, his eyes straying to the cracked plaster on wall where the indestructible Nokia had connected. The hybrid pat a pocket on his cargo pants with a grin.

"All sorted; there's some oil, wax and shit like that out there if you want to clean your Yamato; just don't use it all, I need to clean Queenie" Vergil rolled his eyes and smirked, he had to agree his sword looked like it had just butchered innocent civilians and the like. With that they both went their separate ways, the Nephilm sliding the door open with his toes and closing it the same way – being sure that the monstrous sword didn't clip the doorframe on the way out – and Nero taking the basket of damp clothing from Kyrie and explaining Vergil's circumstance to her; well, what he knew of it anyway. The Nephilim smiled once outside in the cool night air, taking in a deep breath and relishing in the salty tang of the ocean; Fortuna was quite beautiful to say the very least, it's atmosphere enticing one into the rest and relaxation frame of mind they would experience on a holiday – a luxury Vergil had never experienced in Limbo City while leading The Order.

Propping Nero's blade against the wall, he spotted the oil, wax and many other knick knacks the half demon had clearly used for the maintenance of his unique sword, all piled up on a wooden tabletop. Screwdrivers – he assumed it had something to do with how Red Queen spewed fire – different oils and lacquers, a well used whetstone, files, sandpaper and multitudes of different coloured cloths littered the surface. Vergil smiled wirily; though his bedroom was relatively pristine, once he came outside and saw the warzone that was the poor innocent table, he had a feeling the woman Kyrie was the reason behind it. The Nephilim made a thoughtful noise and took a seat, deciding he should at least treat his katana to a coat of oil and wax to really make it shine.

Yamato was crafted from tempered demonic steel and typically it didn't require any upkeep whatsoever, but the task itself gave Vergil something to focus on and helped take his mind off the troubles clouding it. Polishing the blade with an oiled cloth, the Nephilim lost himself in the monotony of the task; eyes straying to the dirtied colossal weapon Nero called Red Queen _'He did clean my shoes...'_ he mused, deciding instead to sheath Yamato with a 'click' after wiping excess oil from it. Ten odd minutes had passed before Vergil finally heard the hybrid slide the door open and he smirked, still working away at the weapon. He had wiped the blade clean of the dried blood and guts with one of the many cloths that littered the table, shaved it's edge down with a file and smoothed it with the whetstone in long tedious stokes; and was now at the relatively simple stage of refining that smoothed edge to a paper thin point with sandpaper. Nero blinked at seeing Vergil working on his sword, to say he was surprised would be an understatement; it gleamed luminescent silver in the moonlight and it looked to have been freshly ground down to a wicked edge. He watched the Nephilim silently; it was mesmerizing watching how gracefully he worked.

"Come here for me, will you?" jumping at being addressed, he approached Vergil who lifted the razor edge of the sword towards him "sharp enough for you?" Nero hesitated before gently touching the blade with the palm of his human hand, withdrawing it just as quickly with a hiss and stared down at the thin line beading with blood, eyes wide.

"Christ man, how the hell did you get her like that?" in all the times the half demon had went to sharpen his sword, the blade had wound up enough to hack through demons for sure, but never to the point he could slice his hand open at a mere brush over it! Nephilim snorted and tapped Yamato lying on the table – its ebony sheath gleaming after a fresh coat of wax.

"Swords are my everything, Nero. It would be a shame if I had such an amazing weapon and didn't know how to maintain it, correct?" he said with a teasing glint in his eyes. The hybrid opened his mouth to agree before the meaning of his words sunk in. A scowl crossed his face.

"You saying I can't look after my sword?" he snapped, eyes narrowing and folding his arms. Vergil chuckled and spun Red Queen's hilt in his hand, offering the weapon to Nero with obvious amusement at his frustration.

"Your words, not mine" Snatching the blade from the Nephilim, he opened his mouth the yell at him when a screaming metal song began to play from his pocket. Vergil cocked an eyebrow at the tune – swearing black and blue that Dante had listened to similar music – while watching Nero fumble for the phone and try to balance Red Queen in his free hand. A blue claw punched it on loudspeaker and answered the call simultaneously.

"Nero here"

_"Hey kid, it's me. Change of plans, Trish is gonna take care of the shop and my other lady friend has taken the time out of her _very_ busy schedule to come pick you and your friend up; I'm loaning her my car so it should take her about three days including pit stops to rock up at the port your ferry docks at. That cool?"_ Nero glanced over at Vergil, who shrugged nonchalantly in response – it didn't bother him either way.

"Yeah that's fine old man, what's she look like so we know who to look for?"

_"Beautiful kid, sleek like one of them jaguars and just an all out pleasure to ride in; oh! Red too. Telling you right now, ya can't beat the classics"_ The hybrid groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose with his now healed hand.

"The friend of yours idiot, not the fucking_ car!_"

_"I'm just taking the piss outta ya, no need to get your panties in a twist – can't miss her, the woman has enough artillery on her half the time to put an entire army regiment to shame" _

"Right..."

_"Guess I'll see you when I get back to the shop, later Nero. Oh, and stay the hell out of my beer!" _

"Whatever"

Click.

Vergil snorted, the Dante of this world certainly sounded like a character. Nero huffed, blowing strands of white hair out of his face and tossing the phone onto the table, eyes straying to one of the screwdrivers; absentmindedly he twirled Red Queen in the palm of his hand. He was willing to bet the Nephilim – even though he had sharpened and polished his sword for him – didn't do any maintenance to the delicate exceed system his weapon used. Nor would he want him to! Without the correct calibrations and knowledge, a screw up could mean the difference between arcs of fire licking his sword with every swing, and the volatile fuel backfiring and dousing_ him_ in flames. Making a 'tch' noise, he swept Red Queen over his shoulder and strode to the opposite side of the table to take a seat, plucking a screwdriver from the surface and propping his freshly sharpened blade between his legs with a grunt. Vergil watched on curiously, knowing full well that Nero was either uncomfortable with the scrutiny he was receiving, or was flustered because of it; the way he occasionally fumbled with the screwdriver nervously and swore like a pirate was testament to that. The half demon pulled away the steel plates – the many screws that held them in place littered on a cloth – that covered a myriad of different pipes, tubes and wires beneath the handle of the weapon.

"Did you make your sword like that?" the Nephilim questioned, hand straying to Yamato to pull the blade onto his lap while he watched.

"Yeah it's an exceed system, takes fuel from the small intake here" He gestured to a part that Vergil had to squint to see "and siphons it to this little tank here when I squeeze the clutch" to emphasise his point he did just that and a shot of amber liquid raced through the transparent pipes at blinding speed "If I crank the clutch and rev at the same time it spits out fuel onto the blade and ignites it with these sparkplugs here" The Nephilim was certainly impressed by the amount of engineering that went into his sword, the hybrid showing off his knowledge reminding him of the time that Dante and himself had had made small talk while he hacked into the door that lead to Mundus' quarters.

"Why?" he murmured, finding he didn't even have to emphasise for the half demon to understand. Nero paused for the briefest of moments and for a second Vergil swore he saw a dark look cross his face, the icy glower gone the second it arrived. He sighed.

"Need things to take my mind of stuff sometimes... the amount of crap I get here for what I am is fucking stupid; I needed something to distract me from all the bullshit and this was it..." he said quietly. Vergil nodded slowly, shifting Yamato in his hands so the bottom of the sheath was tapping the floor.

"I can understand you needed an escape, a distraction from the negativities you receive from both the populace and the soldiers here; but what I don't understand is _why?_ Why don't you take pride in your heritage?" Nero stopped again and looked at him flatly.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." The Nephilim returned the deadpan look. Growling, Nero flicked open a small capsule in the exceed system and turned the sword away from Vergil while he worked away at it.

"I'm part demon, I swear I've told you before – but this city is full of religious blowhards that have manipulated my outward appearance to their advantage; guess who gets all the dirty jobs outside Fortuna?" he snapped. Vergil rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't answer my question"

"And you still haven't answered mine" Nero barked back. Raising a silver eyebrow, the Nephilim crossed his arms.

"And what question was that, exactly?" he hissed, voice like ice.

"Why the hell do you have another Yamato?" the hybrid snapped, suppressing a shiver that threatened to claw up his spine at the cold tone. Clicking a piece into place and experimentally revving the handle, Nero smirked at the loud roar. "You said some shit about a Limbo City, but that doesn't answer my question." Vergil regarded him silently, watching him snap select pieces into place and eventually screw the metal plates back into position. How was he going to explain it to him without coming off as either deranged, or insane? _'Well... I am hearing voices, so I guess being marked as delusional isn't the worst thing that could happen'_ he thought bitterly.

"It's... difficult to explain, not even I understand it" he said quietly, eyes straying to the ebony sheath of Yamato resting on his thigh "My brother and I got into a small disagreement over minute details you needn't worry about, and as a result I was thrown into what I assume to be a parallel world when I departed – this world." He paused and ran a thumb over his katana's familiar handle "If you don't believe me, I can relate to that – but what I will tell you is that this sword was given to me by my father Sparda and I've held it close for years; another Yamato is completely out of the question" lifting his eyes, he found Nero was staring intently at him, twirling Red Queen in his hand and his lips set into a thin line while he mulled the information over.

"You and the old man fought huh..?"

"No" he said slowly, averting his eyes and sighing. Did he not listen? "You were the very one who told me that we cannot be related – I came to blows with _my _brother not the Dante you know" it took five minutes of Nero staring silently before the Nephilim got a response out of the other.

"So... what you're saying is that there's more than one Dante?"

"You could say they're worlds apart" he murmured with a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. Nero caught on and chuckled also, leaning his sword against the table and flexing his devil bringer with a smirk. Vergil's eyes widened momentarily at seeing the white hilted Yamato shimmer into existence in the palm of his taloned hand, eyes straying to his own katana at feeling it pulse eerily as if calling out to the blade. Nero let out a sigh of relief twirling the weapon in his palm and imbedding the tip of the sword in the teak floor beneath them, it felt as if the foreign pressure that had been assaulting his arm over the past day had finally released it's cold grip and he was able to relax somewhat.

"I dunno what it is about mine, but ever since we strolled through Ferrum Hills, it's like the fucking thing just wanted out" the Nephilim wasn't listening and instead his eyes were locked onto the white-hilted Yamato warily; He could feel familiar cold tendrils caressing his mind into a sense of false security, emanating from the blade in a subtle manner but enough to cause the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. It was making him uncomfortable, yet at the same time he felt drawn to the sword in such a way that he failed to notice Nero staring at him.

"You ok?" snapping out of his daze, the Nephilim nodded and quickly looked away.

"Y-yeah..."

_'Quite susceptible to its power, aren't you? I suppose I should be grateful at the very least'_ the cool voice whispered, the tenor alone enough to make Vergil tense and flicker his gaze to Nero's Yamato, setting his jaw and narrowing his eyes, a dull ache flaring up from the scar in his chest.

"Dude, you sure? You look like you just saw a ghost..."

"I'm just tired is all..." he murmured, standing abruptly and taking his sword with him. Nero blinked at the action and reluctantly recalled Yamato into his devil bringer, wincing through the process; it had never been painful before, but it felt as if the blade was trying to resist the pull and remain out in the open. Rubbing his arm with a quiet whine, Vergil studied him silently with eyebrows drawn together in worry, that wasn't a good sign _'seems like the sword's rejecting him... so it to is a devil arm...' _

_'Sharp, aren't we?'_

"C'mon, you're in the guest room on the third floor" the hybrid called, walking past the Nephilim as if nothing had just transpired. The cold presence that loomed over Vergil had diminished somewhat, and shaking off his unease he followed Nero up the flights of stairs silently; what was going on with him? It wasn't like his Yamato had begun to reject him – then again, Nero wasn't the original wielder of his katana; could it be that it saw him as this worlds Vergil, and reacted accordingly in an attempt to return to its master? _´definitely food for thought...' _the half demon opened the door to the room and sidestepped to allow the Nephilim in, watching him slowly pace around the room and pause at the open window.

"Yeah... forgot to close that after I barged in" Vergil chuckled softly and leaned Yamato against the wall, closing the window and looking at the hybrid over his shoulder; the moonlight giving the Nephilim a somewhat vicious appearance. Nero scratched his nose nervously.

"I'll be fine, go get some sleep kid"

"Don't call me kid..." he grumbled, pushing off the doorframe and turning on his heel "oh yeah, need to go pick up my pay check tomorrow if you want to tag along, up to you" Vergil nodded his head with a smirk and moved to the bed.

"We shall see"

"Yeah..." the hybrid shifted on the spot awkwardly and shook his head "anyway, night Verge" blinking at the nickname, he stared at the half breed while he disappeared down the dark staircase before a small smile crossed his face.

"Yes, goodnight" he murmured, flicking up the covers and crawling under the sheets with a grateful sigh. After the events that had transpired in the long, tedious, _testing_ day it was safe to say that even the inhuman Nephilim was all but exhausted. Vergil could feel the marine blue pendent on his chest thrumming ominously, but he ignored it and pulled a pillow over his head, groaning into the soft feathery mass before losing himself to his dreams; to his nightmares.

* * *

_"...-l..."_

_"...V-..."_

_"...-er..."_

_"Ver-.."_

_"...-il..." _

_"__**VERGIL!**_"

He blinked back the haze that clouded his eyes at the sound of his name – it felt as if he had been staring straight into a fan they were that dry! Grumbling, his vision began to come back into focus and almost immediately his heart dropped into the pits of his stomach. What he didn't expect to see was Nero beneath him with his own thighs holding the young man in place, the half demon's human arm straining to hold back the Nephilim's white-knuckled hand enclosed around the hilt of the black Yamato, and the hybrids devil bringer shaking against the downward force that was exerted onto it; blue talons locked around the sword's demonic edge and weeping beads of scarlet blood. Recoiling and taking his katana with him, Vergil backpedalled off the bed with a look of horror, his back connecting with the wall at the foot of Nero's bed.

"Dude what the fuck?!"

_'Such a pity' _

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**A/N: uh ohhhhhhh... what happened? D: STAHP SLEEPWALKING VERGE! **

**Let me know what y'all think ;) RnR my lovely readers**

**Also, Just saying; describing sword maintenance is a pain in the rear, though those are more for ornamental swords and katana's using techniques I have used personally to help a friend spruce up his collection :p**


	4. Reflections

**A/N: A wild chapter appears!**

**Chapter uses post!**

**It's super-effective!**

**xD**

**7 reviews for one chapter and over 1,500 views. ****_ADEHSEFZVSDCFZDFFG!_**** I love you all :3 I dunno, I've been crazy busy with studies and IRL things I haven't had much time to write, soooooooooo I made this chapter a little longer than my last ones to try and compensate for that.**

**... **

**_Try_****.**

**Lol, In all seriousness though I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long and I hope you can all forgive meh :c**

**Disclaimer: I AM A PURPLE TOORAN OF THE FIRE KITTY WAFFLE STICKS CLAN. **

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**Review Replies:**

_**SirenaLoreley: your face is a demon entity :p hahaha I kid, yeah Nero's pretty good at doing his own things - he **_**likes****_ to think he's better at some things than others, but then Vergil comes along and pops his bubble, Lol. As for the evil entity... weeeeelllllllllllll part of it is revealed in this chappie... part of ;) enjoy friend!_**

**_(Guest) B: Well yeah sorry about that, I read your review then read over the chapter again. Herp derp, I'm the writer of course I'm gonna know what's going on ._. as for you conclusion, You're close... but not quite and frankly I enjoy how you guess at it; it's like I know what's going to happen but am grinning like an idiot because you're soooooooooooooooo close but not quite xD now remember... read this chapter where I reveal something pretty big, and refer back to earlier ones for reference on the voices, than re-read your review *grins* I look forward to your next review friend *cackles madly*_**

**_(Guest) Semen0suke: NEEDS MOAR CLIFFIES! You do this chapter... kinda, not exactly, but kinda get an idea for it if you can piece things together :p See most people will think that, but you have to remember the last time Dante saw Vergil wasn't DMC 3, it was DMC 1 as Nelo Angelo. I can't find the damn thing, and links on this site are iffy but I remember finding a comparison picture between DMC 1 Vergil (basically in Nelo Angelo's armour, but with the helmet off) and DmC's Vergil. The resemblance was uncanny, like my jaw _****literally****_ dropped, but as you said, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it :) Yeah... I think I might just intergrate it subtly with teasing pot-shots ect first and decide when I get to certain points whether to develop it further, ty for mentioning that though :)_**

**_(Guest) 3dge0f3den: Nawww thats cool man, and I like a challenge! lol and give you friend a smack upside the head with one of them pool noodles screaming THIS IS SPARDA! (lolImadeafunny). As I've said before, it's gonna be crazy, and not just with everyone freaking out over seeing Vergil - you gotta understand, Vergil is gonna see similarities to people back in Limbo city, I already know who Lady's and Trish's counterparts will be if you haven't guessed them already :p and yes... Nokia's are good for half demons, hell I pegged mine at a friend for pissing me off one day and it hit the wall in the same manner Nero's did. Nothing broke xD and I lvoe you too *wink wink nudge nudge* bahahaha glad you liked it, I love all my reviewers and their unique outlooks ;3_**

**_(Guest) Kit: Something like that, but with nachos and those christmasy pully things with paper crowns in them. And ice cream, lots of ice cream._**

**_(Guest) Mugensoul46: Does this count as an update? *tilts head to side* Glad you like it enough to leave a review :)_**

**_(Guest) Coal: If I set you on fire, how long will you burn? :o GO GO ME, YUS lol, nah, Lady is going to flip her _****Sh!t****_ and it shall be glorious xD_**

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**Chapter 4 - Reflections**

Morning sunlight poured in through the window of the guest room, its intensity diluted by the curtains fluttering in the small breeze the quiet ceiling fan whipped up. Warm radiance bounced around the room in steams of white and gold, the sun's light flashing into Vergil's still closed, resting eyes from the mirror mounted on the wall adjacent to the door. Birds of different species called out in the cheerful morning, their serenades irritating the already exhausted Nephilim. Rolling over onto his back, he cracked his cold blue orbs open to stare at the roof of the room blankly and sighed – he had always wondered what sleep deprivation would do to him due to his lack of human genetics. He hadn't slept for near three days, the planning towards the clash with Mundus and the indomitable battle itself draining most of his energy reserves.

He hadn't found sleep the night before the event; he was weary yes, but there was far too many worries and calculated uncertainties that made the Nephilim restless – would Kat's plan work? The next day he had nursed the fading bruises of the bone-crushing hits he had taken, only to have them facture again when he came to an impasse with Dante. To say the very least, Vergil currently felt sluggish and his eyelids were heavy, rubbing them with the heel of his palms and hissing profanities that uncommonly fell from his lips. He had refused to let sleep capture him after he had attacked Nero, fearful that there would be a reoccurrence of his dangerous sleepwalking.

He looked eerily human – albeit flawless in comparison – and yet his mind and body acted on their own accord during his moment of weakness, during his sleep; his colder and more calculating demonic blood rearing its ugly head with a cruel, manipulative puppet strings. The thought turned the corners of his lips downwards, and Vergil rubbed his face with a hum of annoyance _'Pathetic...'_ he thought bitterly, lips pulling back over his teeth in a snide snarl _'why must I be so damn weak!'_ A buzzing noise sprung to life in the back of his skull, the echoing sound bringing a headache of monumental proportions to Vergil's attention. Wincing and the deafening sound very much like nails on a chalkboard, the Nephilim glared at the near-glowing white roof through parted fingers. He hadn't even spent a full day in this world, and within that short timeframe he had started hearing voices that were beginning to grate on his sanity, blurring the lines between right and wrong; then again – maybe that was just due to his lack of sleep.

Hoarfrost eyes strayed to the closed bedroom door.

He knew it was partly due to the white Yamato, hell – he could _feel_ the blade calling out to him from Nero's devil bringer, the tempting lullaby tickling the back of his mind and cool vapour-like touches ghosting over his skin, raising goosebumps in their wake. His fingers twitched in anticipation – really it wouldn't be all that difficult; the fool had already come to trust him so earnestly within their short time together. Vergil pursed his lips in thought, hand falling from the side of the bed to brush across Yamato's sheath and almost instantaneously the buzzing white noise halted. The Nephilim froze in response, muscles locking up at the abrupt quiet, the scar on his chest twitching uncomfortably and a harsh grating noise starting at his ears. Several moments passed before he realized the sound was that of a purring growl, a sound that was terrifyingly inhuman and caused his Yamato to pulse in his hands ominously.

"What the..?" he pulled the katana up to stare at the ebony sheath, near grimacing at his appearance reflected on the smooth lacquered wood; off-colour circles of bruising blue stained the soft flesh beneath his eyes, looking out of place on Vergil's otherwise normally flawless face, pale discoloured skin stretching over his high cheekbones like a thin translucent membrane – he looked like hell. Knuckles rapped on the door and without waiting for his approval, slammed open to reveal a rather guarded looking Nero. The Nephilim tightened his grip on his katana – one at its hilt and the other center - at the steely gaze, and equalled the glower flatly with his face a mask of ice; eventually the hybrid sighed half-heartedly and averted his eyes, scratching his nose with a glowing claw – an action Vergil had come to associate with embarrassment or nervousness. A thick tense silence flooded the space between them, the tension palpable enough to raise the silvery hairs on Nero's human arm and his devil bringer's claws ache uncomfortably. He rubbed the tender fissure of blue between the plates absently, the white Yamato smashing against the proverbial walls he had built up to contain its immense power, and it's sudden want to be free of the confines it was held in unwillingly. Vergil studied the multitudes of expressions that danced over Nero's face in all but a split second; fear, anxiety, pain, anger, worry...

Just what was going on in his head?

The black Yamato thrummed in his palms and he flinched minutely, eyes flickering to its sheath and to his horror a flicker of demonic red snaked up the blade, to the hilt and his hand gripping there before vanishing entirely; all within the space of a second. Vergil's eyes snapped to Nero's, catching the other's pale blue eyes staring at his katana with barely contained surprised, his devil bringer flaring a bright blue in response to the powerful demonic energy that permeated the room. Stunned silence followed but neither mentioned their observations and the smell of cooking food wafting into the room was enough to rouse the Nephilim's curiosity, sniffing the air with his sensitive nose; bacon and pancakes? His stomach growled loudly, drawing the attention of Nero quickly enough for him to snap out of his stunned daze to face Vergil directly, a crooked, awkward smile on his face.

"Oh right forgot to feed you, my bad" the Nephilim let out a sigh, the breath he hadn't known he was holding tousled the silvery hair that had fallen in front of his eyes and he subtly trying to shake the cold feeling that captured his hand.

"You make me sound like a canine, half-breed" he murmured icily, eyes narrowing at the unnaturally cold tone. Where the hell did that come from?

_'You need that devil arm... Find a way or it shall only become harder to control'_ Vergil's eyes averted from the quiet half demon at the words echoing in his mind, missing the intensely dark look that crossed Nero's face. What would be harder to control? His somewhat murderous, sleepwalking escapades? Or his slowly changing attitude? Hell, both were equally annoying.

"Your clothes are outside your room, grab some food from Kyrie and move your ass. You have ten minutes and we're leaving" Nero said flatly, turning on his heel before the Nephilim could get a word in and the door slamming hard enough to leave cracks in the plaster around the frame; the mirror hanging on the wall shaking with the reverberating force before falling off its hook and shattering into pieces on the floor. Vergil winced at seeing the scattered shards of glass, moving into a more comfortable seated position and rubbing the back of his neck.

"How troublesome..."

_'Indeed...' _The Nephilim's eyes narrowed at the colder tone; did this voice have split personality disorder or what? _'That sword is far more valuable than you understand, more so than yours from what I can gather; especially with what Sparda of this world created it for. That _fool_ of a boy wouldn't have a clue how to use Yamato properly. Get me my sword, Nephilim.' _ Vergil's eyes widened and his grip on the black Yamato tightened, the ebony wood squeaking under the pressure.

"_Your_... sword?" He whispered, shivering at the cold feeling that settled into the pit of his stomach. There was no damn way he was staying in the room along with his manifested inanity. A humourless laugh echoed in his skull and Vergil scrambled to his feet, kicking the sheets up in a messy flurry and hissing the second he felt a piece of broken glass bite into the soft flesh of his foot. Hopping back to the bed and leaving a trail of blood, the Nephilim gingerly ripped the shard from his wound and sighed contently at the feeling of the injury knitting itself back together. Grumbling at his own foolhardiness, he ran his thumb over the red-stained glass and glanced down at the descent sized shard, choking on his breath at what he saw.

An eye so similar to his was seen beneath the smeared blood, but he could tell just from a glance its owner held a colder outlook on reality, far, _far_ different to his own. The man's features – or rather what he could see from tilting the glass with a look of awe – held an air that _demanded_ reverence, his slightly narrower jaw and silvery hair swept out of his face was flecked with ice, more than enough to know that wasn't himself reflected.

The reflection's eyebrows drew together and if possible the single eye became colder in its first glimpse upon the Nephilim, the sides of his lips curling downward in disdain.

_'You are kin to a Nephilim by the name of Dante in your world, have been thrown into my world and are seeking out my own twit of a brother – your brother reflected here. What foolish theory made you think you wouldn't exist also?'_

* * *

Vergil fell into step behind Nero with a deadly calm, face impassive but his stormy blue eyes fixated coolly onto the hybrids back and reflecting his less than pleased mood. He wasn't angry – but he wasn't exactly ecstatic either; the half breed had remained tight-lipped about what exactly had transpired the previous night, and had refused to talk about it no matter the probing Vergil did – the childish silence was still probably due to his comment earlier in the morning.

The Nephilim rolled his eyes in exasperation, thoughts drifting back to the night before.

Was it a bad thing he couldn't remember? That it was like nothing had happened? It was infuriating knowing that he was weak enough to have a lapse of control, his subconsciousness lashing out at the silverette – though now he knew it full well it could have been his counterpart of this world taking advantage of an opportunity. It was galling knowing that he couldn't stop the maddening voices echoing in the back of his skull, their icy murmurs seemingly never ending - and it was flat out terrifying knowing that the reason was tied to his waist. The Nephilim's grip tightened on Yamato's hilt in response and his lips set into a grim line, eyes straying from Nero's back to his concealed devil bringer swaying beside him with every step he took.

Nero turned his head to stare at Vergil seemingly lost in his thoughts. Dark shadows cloaked his face like a veil and the Nephilim's lips were pressed into a thin line of dread, his eyes revealing little of his inner mulling as he stared hollowly at his hidden arm. The hybrid resisted the urge to flinch uncomfortably under his intense gaze, just what was going on in his mind? The more Vergil stared, the more Nero sunk into the depths of self consciousness; muttering curses quietly in the morning sun, he pulled his right arm to his front and scratched at a dip between the hidden plates absently in a poor attempt at convincing the other he wasn't hiding his arm.

The sad thing was it almost worked.

Until Vergil was at his right side and staring at him through narrowed icy eyes. Nero's breath caught in his throat at the intensity of the cold gaze; what the hell?

"There's no need to hide it" the Nephilim murmured with strain, nostrils flaring briefly with exertion to reign in his sudden urge to seize Nero's Yamato. A moment passed and Nero opened his mouth to comment on Vergil's obvious tension when the Nephilim averted his eyes from the hybrid to watch the way the morning light bounced off the glass windows of unopened shops and still dormant homes "I for one have no qualms with you nor your arm, it intrigues me most definitely; but there's nothing wrong with displaying it" the hybrid chewed on his comment pensively and mused on how to respond, it was probably the closest thing to a compliment he'd received about his arm.

"Yeah... but as I said yesterday it's not something I enjoy flashing around. I don't like the looks I get for my hair and complexion, let alone my arm..." Vergil made a thoughtful noise and pushed away the last remnants of his urge to steal the white Yamato.

"You're a near full grown man, Nero. You're a half demon and slay said beasts for a job, and yet you worry about what others think about you?" he said incredulously, eyes flickering to the irritated looking hybrid as if knowing full well Vergil wasn't done yet. "Are you sure you aren't a woman?" the half demon growled and the Nephilim grinned wolfishly in response.

"Fuck you" Nero spat, picking up his pace and storming ahead. Vergil's laughter was full blown while he chased after the angry spitfire, the Nephilim smiled suavely - wanting to test a theory he came up with the night before - when he eventually made eye contact with the pissed demon hunter.

"Oh I would and right into the floor too, don't tempt me" he teased, delighting in the realization that slowly dawned on Nero's face and the bright red that flooded in immediately after. _'Virgin'_ he concluded, already thinking of ways to embarrass the half breed beyond imagination. Nero spluttered, reacting on his own accord and striking out at the Nephilim with his devil bringer in both mortification and anger.

"Bastard!" he hissed, eyes narrowing at the way Vergil danced away from his swipes with amused eyes. "Hurry the hell up we're almost there, so stop fucking distracting me"

"Ladies first" Vergil said with a smirk, dipping down into a low bow and tilting his head back up to flash a toothy grin. Nero rolled his eyes and smiled mischievously back, continuing towards the barracks behind the newly repaired Cathedral in the center of town. Trying to keep the Nephilim from his thoughts was harder than Nero thought, especially when he could feel the guy staring at his back. His face burned in embarrassment when he recalled the man's earlier innuendo, god that was mortifying! _'Points for catching me off guard... didn't expect him of all people to say something like that'_ he drew his eyebrows together in a frown while his feet continued on autopilot and navigated him through the sparring grounds filled with early risers that had begun to stare at them. _'Then again I haven't known him long to be able to say that...'_ Snapping out of his daze when he came to a halt at the steps into the building itself, he turned to the expressionless Nephilim, a barely noticeable smile curling the corners of his lips up at the way Vergil's blank eyes lit up like a light switch when the man noticed Nero's gaze.

"Yes?" the hybrid allowed the smile to split across his face in a grin at his smooth voice, god damn he was acting like a girl, and he didn't know why.

"Wait out here, you're not a part of The Order so I can't exactly drag you in; non personal not allowed and all – go make people feel bad by saying they can't look after their sword or some shit" he drawled, waving his hand in an exaggerated manner. The Nephilim stared at Nero's back when he turned to ascend the stairs, eyebrows shooting into his hairline and jaw hanging open for two reasons. The first being that the hybrid mentioned that he worked for The Order, was it possible there could be a mirrored organization here, too? _'But on a religious island...? too farfetched if you ask me..._'. The second being that the teen actually remembered him taking that pot-shot at him last night, though he meant it in a joking manner, he begun to worry the half demon had taken it the wrong way. But there was a question within that train of thought alone:

_Why the hell did he care in the first place?_

Nero sauntered down the numerous corridors with a facade of confidence, praying that the unease he was feeling wouldn't be displayed on his face with how everyone seemed to drop what they were doing and stare when he walked past. How was he supposed to explain the three soldier's deaths? He could always say they were ambushed, but would Matthew believe that? Striding past a cleaning lady, she shot him a particularly nasty look to which he just winked at, completely throwing her off. _'She must be new here..._' He didn't know whether it was an alienation tactic that everyone – bar Kyrie and Vergil – in Fortuna were in on, but it was getting borderline ridiculous how they could convey such fear, anger and hate into one look; though the half breed did find it amusing how easily they dropped such expressions when he kept his blank face up. Turning the final corner, he leaped up a staircase three steps at a time until he came to a large open plan room with a clerk at a desk at the very end of the hall.

Grinning to himself, the half demon snuck up on the man he _knew_ barely kept track of his surroundings and Nero's clawed hand – though still concealed by a more durable red and black leather sleeve with a matching glove – slammed on the desk, and the quill the older man was writing with paused, eyes straying to the small vial of ink having splashed black splotches over the wood and corners of the paper. Brown eyes looked up at him flatly with lips drawn into a thin line, a sigh slipping from his lips after seeing the grin on the half demons face.

"Back already are you, troublemaker?"

"Don't you know it" He chuckled, widening his stance and propping his elbows on the desk. The man wrinkled his nose "Do me a favour and put me in with Matty, I'd like to actually get paid this time rather than you lose it in the mail"

"Are you saying I'm incompetent?" the man growled, eyes narrowing. Nero snorted, claws tapping on his chin through the leather.

"Now now Marcus, don't get your panties in a bunch – I'm saying your mail system and the people who run it are incompetent" laughing inwardly at the look of fury crossing the man's face, Marcus slammed the quill down on the desk – more ink splashing on the papers he knew he had to rewrite anyway thanks to a certain hellion – he pointed back the way Nero came.

"Get out of here now demon, Brigadier-General Matthew Illucia is not in at the moment you're going to have to just le- HEY!" Nero ignored him and strutted towards the office with a smirk, kicking the door in and glancing over his shoulder with a dark look that paralysed the man in his late thirties to the spot five feet from him.

"Like you, I need money to actually eat. I'm more than inclined to wait you pompous bastard" and with that, he all but slammed the door in Marcus' face. Looking around the office, Nero hummed thoughtfully and prodded and different knick-knacks, before leaning against a wall next to a full bookcase to wait; he knew Matt would be a while, the guy didn't usually get in for another half an hour, but he figured he'd wait so he could hear Vergil's horror stories from how terrible the newer recruits were with their training swords. A faint smile crossed his face at that thought, the expression changing when he recalled the night before and the inhuman look in the Nephilim's eyes...

_Nero smiled impishly at the sight of his bed, leaping from his bedroom door and onto the mattress and a satisfactory groan slipping from his lips at the soft bedding. He crawled under the sheets and hummed in approval, his face buried into the fluffy white pillows – To say today had been eventful would be quite the understatement; though he had only been sent on a rather routine clean-up mission by the new head of the Order of the Sword, Mathew Illucia; the last thing he would have expected while hunting Assaults, was to run into someone who was effectively Dante's brother from a parallel world. The bastard killed the three young men that had been assigned to him and he was still yet to figure out how to explain that to Matty; after all – though he was still young – he wasn't completely naive, they were there to observe him and report back to their stuck up asshole commander on whether they believed he was working on collaboration with the demons. Nero knew they wanted him gone and were willing to take any reason or suspicion as proof, the hybrid was walking on brittle eggshells._

_Hell, the only reason he was still in Fortuna was because of Kyrie's insistence _'though circumstances have changed now with Verge...'

Matthew scowled at his office door, knowing full well who was on the opposite side of the wooden barrier and demanding payment. He wasn't fond of Nero, nor held any affection towards the filthy half breed in the first place, but he _did_ as his commanding officer have an obligation to grant him audience. Grumbling curses to himself, he opened the door and stepped in the room to find the half breed leaning against a wall with a distant look in his eyes.

"Well well, if it isn't the little hellspawn of Fortuna. What can I _not_ do for you this time, hmm?" Smiling smugly while he waited for Nero's response, the man frowned when he realized the hybrid had barely stirred from his thoughts. "One would consider that rude Nero, I could have you court-marshalled if you'd prefer" Matthew quipped darkly, striding past him to sit at his desk.

Still nothing.

_Nero turned his head on the pillow and stared at the ajar door through snowy white bangs, eyes blank and lips pursed in thought. What exactly was up with Vergil anyway? He'd seen how the guy reacted to when he called out Yamato and he wasn't sure whether to be worried for either himself, or for the Nephilim; the guy looked like he was put into a trance of some kind and the flicker of red he saw dance in his eyes for the briefest moment was enough for him to be put on edge – he had seen that same red in Dante's eyes when he was borderline triggering during their first encounter._

_"Mind... what are you doin'?" he muttered, rolling onto his back with a sigh and staring at the roof, his thoughts straying to the Nepilim yet again. A frown creased his brow "mind, stop it... I'm trying to sleep!" blowing the white hair out of his face, Nero forced his eyes shut and rolled over a second time to face the wall with sigh of content, gradually losing himself to the lull of sleep. The hybrid had only been out for a good half an hour before his arm flared up painfully enough to jerk him from his light snooze with a snarl, bright blue claws grappling for Blue Rose nestled under his pillow. Cocking the hammer back, he shot upright in his bed and whipped the barrel toward his ajar door; If his arm was any indication, there was a demon just beyond the wooden barrier of a high calibre; it's immense strength tangible enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck. Nero knew he stood little chance with just Blue Rose alone and calling Yamato was out of the question if the situation got dire – it was painful enough having to recall the blade once that evening._

"Nero... are you even listening to me?" Mathew growled, calloused fingers drumming on the mahogany desk he was seated behind; this _boy _had the audacity to seek his audience for payment and yet chose to ignore him?! Jade green eyes narrowed distastefully, gaze moving to the hybrids concealed right arm with a disapproving glower, the young slayer staring at his now drawn silver-plated gun blankly and twirling it expertly in his left hand through habit.

_Whether with his devil bringer or his human hand, Blue Rose was a gun worth her weight in gold and was easily manipulated in either – especially with the fact the hybrid had to learn to be ambidextrous after his arm had undergone it's dramatic change. The door creaked open further and Nero's claw tightened on the trigger in response, but still he didn't fire – especially at what he saw. Vergil was standing in the doorway, his face shrouded in shadows and the black Yamato clutched in his hand; something was off though, something didn't feel right and the longer he stared the more paranoid he felt._

_That's when he saw it._

_Vergil's irises were stained a deep, malevolent scarlet, the vivid red cold and unfeeling while the Nephilim stared at him predatorily. He took a step forward and Nero shuffled backwards on the bed in response, his gun faltering in its aim – he couldn't shoot the guy! He just met him! Vergil continued his leisurely pace until he was mere feet from the hybrid and that's when the half demon also noted the whites of his eyes were stained a soulless black. A shiver crawled up his spine. They stared at each other for what felt like hours, the icy glower Nero was receiving more than enough notice that this wasn't the Nephilim he had come to know over the past day – it just couldn't be!_

"Nero!" Mathew barked. He had had just about enough of this demonic _scum's_ behaviour – if he was going to work under his command, the pathetic, sore excuse of a part human needed to learn to _respect_ his superiors. Kicking his chair back and glaring darkly at the hybrid, he spread his hands over the polished wooden desk and sneered at the young man.

_ "You're not Vergil" Nero whispered, eyes narrowed while he tried to reign in control of the fear gnawing at his stomach. His talons tightened around Blue Rose and his straightened his devil bringer to press the cool barrel of his gun against the Nephilim's forehead; he had a feeling due to the lack of human blood in his veins, the guy could survive a bullet point-blank. The Nephilim regarded him silently; face a mask of icy impassiveness and a cool smile slowly inched its way onto his features, the look chilling the half demon to the very bones. In an action faster than Nero could follow, Blue Rose was sent flying from his claws and across the dark room with Vergil's still-sheathed katana; in that very same movement the black Yamato was drawn, the tip of the blade forcing the half demon's head up and the steel cold against the hybrid's throat._

_"Learn your place, runt. I'm here for- _

Slap.

Nero was snapped violently from his thoughts and he leaped to the side reflexively, yanking Blue Roses' hammer back and whipping it up from to aim at the man who smacked him. His vision slowly swam back into focus from the jarring hit and the hybrid blinked to clear it up somewhat, holstering his gun when he recognized the scent of Mathew Illucia _'bastard' _he cursed vehemently.

"So, finally paying attention are we; Humour me _demon_, what was so interesting you ignored me for a good five minutes?" the man snapped. The hybrid said nothing and glowered hatefully at his commander for the detested title, his loathing gaze hardening at the smugness dancing in his eyes. He knew the bastard was happy, even _gleeful _for his predecessors demise and his rise to the top; the dick was always the one guy who seemed to have a seething uncanny hate towards Nero – he had still yet to figure out how he wronged him – and constantly pestered Credo to dismiss him from The Order when he thought the hybrid wasn't within earshot.

"My apologies _sir_" he drawled, eyes narrowing "I was just recalling events from last night" Mathew scoffed, a sneer crawling across his face and he turned on his heel to return to his desk.

"Go on" he said quietly, malice glinting in his eyes "I do like to keep my_ demons_ on a leash, after all" Nero set his jaw and he couldn't stop the angry flush rising to his face, a growl rumbling in his chest that caused the commander to pause for a moment with untrusting eyes, his hand straying to the sword on his hip. At the action, a cocky grin crossed the half demons face.

"Keep me on a leash eh? Maybe you should get one for your sister with how often she seems to sneak out on you – man oh _man _she's flexible" Nero's grin widened at the dark glower he was receiving and continued "was pretty good last night, tell her I said thanks~'"

* * *

Vergil was getting impatient – and that was saying something. He drummed his fingers on Yamato's hilt and watched recruits spar with each other in the courtyard under the watchful eyes of their battlemasters; The Nephilim shook his head with a soft laugh, the way the humans fought each other was slow, clumsy and their stances were flimsy at best. It was quite painful to watch for someone who strived to perfect the way of the sword. He could feel eyes on him, and he wasn't sure whether he had the right to be smug because of it; his clothes had been cleaned nicely, the tears in the material sewn closed by the songstress Kyrie and if there was one thing he knew for a fact – it was _damn_ he looked good.

"Excuse me..." Vergil's icy blue eyes strayed to the sight of a young man staring up at him meekly – the boy couldn't have been over seventeen if that.

"Yes?" he questioned, raising a silver eyebrow curiously. The teenage shuffled awkwardly on the spot and looked over his shoulder as if for reassurance, brown eyes moving back to the Nephilim nervously.

"I just noticed you looked a lot like Nero, does that mean you're also a demon?" Vergil knew his reaction wasn't warranted, but he could hardly stop the dark look that crossed his face, the soul piercing glower enough for the teen's face to pale and fear to wash off him in waves.

"Nero isn't a demon you _fool!_" he hissed "he is just as human as you are, now be gone before I give you a lesson in swordsmanship with my own blade" thumbing Yamato's hilt to unsheathe the demonic steel somewhat, his glare hardened on the young man. The recruit squeaked in fear and he ran off in the opposite direction, leaving Vergil with lingering guilt at being so harsh towards them.

_'I did tell you it would get worse, did I not?'_ Before the Nephilim could reply, the sound of shattering glass and what he thought to be Nero's laughter rang in his ears. All heads in the courtyard turned to the barracks and craned upwards to see a white haired half demon leaping out of a sixth-storey window with a maniacal grin on his face.

"_NERO ANGELO, GET BACK IN HERE!_"

* * *

**A/N: Soooooo? what you think? :p yeah there's a couple OC's, but I don't consider them as such.. they're just there cuz I needed them to be and Nero needed a verbal punching bag bahahahah xD**

**If you liked the chapter, RnR mah lovlies 3 (****_also PM me any errors and I'll fix them up, lol. You know who you are and ty for taking note of that last chappy :3_****)**


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